Run a fundraising campaign

1. Ask everyone to get into small groups, then give out pens and paper.
2. Each group should think about causes they care about and note down their ideas. They can choose a mixture of local and global causes. It could be for Scouts, your group, a local charity or a national charity.
3. Each group should then pick the cause they’re most interested in. Once they’ve decided, they should make some notes about why they chose the cause, what they need help with and how you could help. They may want to use the internet to research their chosen cause to find out more about what or who they’ll raise money for, how they’ll show others it’s an interesting cause, and how the charity uses the money that people raise. 
4. Everyone should get back together, then each group can then share their cause and ideas with the whole group.
5. Once each group’s had a turn, everyone should vote on one cause to support. They could raise their hands, go to a sheet of paper with the cause written on, or vote anonymously by ticking a sheet.

1. Everyone should get back into their groups. Each group should chat about different fundraising methods they’ve seen, such as events, sponsored walks or donations.
2. Each group should think of their own campaign for the group’s chosen cause. They may want to use the internet to do some research. They should decide what the campaign will be (for example, a quiz, sponsored activity, or challenge). Then, they should think about how it’ll work, such as how it’ll raise money, help the cause or gather donations. For example, people could take part in an event with entry fee, people could take part in a sponsored event, or you could help volunteer at the cause. If you’re raising money or donations, each group should set a realistic target of how much they’d like to raise and think about the timescale.
3. Gather back together and let each group share their ideas. You could work together to build on each group’s ideas to help take a campaign further or increase the impact.
4. Finally, everyone should vote to decide which fundraising campaign they’ll use. 

1. Next, think about all the different parts of your campaign and what you’ll need to do to support it.
2. Ask everyone into teams to support on each different aspect of the campaign. People could choose their team based on the skills they have or skills they’d like to develop. The young people should take the lead on planning and agreeing the final details, but adults can offer support and guidance. We’ve included some example teams below. 
3. Each team will need to check in with each other to make sure they’re on the same page and have a consistent message.
4. Adult volunteers can help to make the final arrangements for things, such as the venue, equipment, supplies, and dealing with the press and social media.

Campaign teams

• Press: you’ll need a way with words to create a snappy title, mission statement, and press release for the campaign. You’ll need to be confident chatting about the cause as you find ways to contact the local press.
• Advertising: you’ll need an eye for design to create posters and social media posts that stand out from the crowd and promote your campaign.
• Logistics: you’ll need to put your organisational skills to the test and see the bigger picture as you sort out the details, however big or small. From agreeing a venue to making sure the donation buckets arrive in time, your planning will help everyone pull it off.
• Donations: you’ll need to get creative as you make it as easy (and enjoyable) as possible for people to give you money before, during, and after the event. You’ll need to check out all the options before you make decisions: cash buckets, online donation pages, or even contactless card machines.

1. The specifics of this part of the activity will depend on what you’re doing. You’ll need to make sure everything’s in place and ready to go, and make sure everyone knows their role in the plan.
2. Make sure to give yourself lots of time to prepare and advertise any event to make sure you can spread the word, gather interest and get donations. 
3. If your fundraising’s online, make sure everyone knows how to stay safe. Take a look at our digital safeguarding tips.

1. Everyone should gather together and chat about how the fundraising event went. Find out how much they spent and how much they raised, then calculate the final amount they donated to their cause.
2. Next, make sure to safely give the donations to the cause, as needed. You may want a receipt or you may get a certificate. You could even see if you could get press coverage or a photo of you making the donation. 
3. Once you’ve finished the campaign, say thank you. You may want to thank anyone involved, anyone who donated or anyone who helped along the way, as well as share what their donations went towards. You could see if you could share any photos of how their donations helped. For example, if you’re fundraising for a foodbank, you could share how a photo of all the items the money bought.
4. Finally, see if you can think of three top tips to offer other fundraisers.